MOBILIZING FOR OPPORTUNITY - Connecting Low-Income College Students to Internships and Good First Jobs - Report Highlights

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia

Mobilizing for Opportunity connects low-income college students with internships and strong first-job pathways in Greater Boston. The report outlines how The Boston Foundation, NextGen Talent, the Boston Private Industry Council, and Burning Glass Technologies collaborate to strengthen career guidance through evidence-based services, labor-market analytics, and coordinated school-to-career programming. It summarizes key findings on early earnings, education requirements, and internship experiences, supported by research using labor market data and College Scorecard outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages64

Reading Time2 h 41 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction and Report Highlights

Research Questions and Organization of the Report

Report Highlights: Key Findings

Report Highlights: Recommendation

I. Description of Data Sources

II. Quantitative Analysis

First-Year Earnings

Education Requirements of First Jobs

Internship Experience and BA-Level Job Attainment

MOBILIZING FOR OPPORTUNITY CONNECTING LOW-INCOME COLLEGE STUDENTS TO INTERNSHIPS AND GOOD FIRST JOBS THE BOSTON FOUNDATION, Greater Boston’s community foundation, seeks to bring the collective power of our region’s people and resources together to drive real change. Established in 1915, it isone of the largest community foundations in the nation—with net assets of $1.3 billion. In 2019, the Foundation received $151 million in contributions and the Foundation and its donors paid $153 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation has many partners, including its donors, who have established more than 1,000 separate charitable funds for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. With support from the Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership, the Foundation also facilitates public discourse and action, commissions research into the most critical issues of our time and advocates for public policy that advances opportunity for everyone. The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), a consulting unit of the Foundation, designs and implements customized philanthropic strategies for families, foundationsand corporations around the globe. To learn more about the Foundation and its work, [visit TBF.org](visit TBF.org). NEXTGEN TALENT’s mission is to create a clear path to a good first job for low-income students, students of color and first-generation collegegoers in Greater Boston. We boost the labor market payoff of postsecondary credentials by providing information services that enable more tactical, evidence-based career guidance. We partner with high schools and college success organizations to provide a progressive sequence of career-related services that begin in high school and continue through college to that all-important good first job. [For more information visit nextgentalent.org](For more information visit nextgentalent.org). THE BOSTON PRIVATE INDUSTRY COUNCIL (PIC) is the city’s Workforce Development Board and school-to-career intermediary. The PIC’s mission is to strengthen Boston’s communities and its workforce by connecting youth and adults with education and employment opportunities that align with the diverse needs of area employers. The PIC connects youth and adults with work and learning opportunities, conducts and analyzes labor market research, convenes industry groups to align education and hiring priorities and to develop pathways, measures the quality and outcomes of its initiatives, and recommends policy changes based on the results of its activities. Since 1982, the PIC has collaborated with the Boston Public Schools, higher education, government, labor, and community organizations to develop and implement strategic priorities for increasing education, training, and employment options for Boston residents. BURNING GLASS TECHNOLOGIES delivers job market analytics that empower employers, workers, and educators to make data-driven decisions. The company’s artificial intelligence technology analyzes hundreds of millions of job postings and real-life career transitions to provide insight into labor market patterns. This real-time strategic intelligence offers crucial insights, such as which jobs are most in demand, the specific skills employers need, and the career directions that offer the highest potential for workers. For more information, [visit burning-glass.com](visit burning-glass.com). Cover Photo: SDI Productions| iStock © 2021 by the Boston Foundation. All rights reserved. MOBILIZING FOR OPPORTUNITY CONNECTING LOW-INCOME COLLEGE STUDENTS TO INTERNSHIPSAND GOOD FIRST JOBS REPORT BY NextGen Talent, the Boston Private Industry Council, and Burning Glass Technologies for The Boston Foundation PREPARED BY Susan Goldberger, Burning Glass Technologies Joseph McLaughlin, Boston Private Industry Council Nancy Snyder, NextGen Talent EDITORS Sandy Kendall and Antoniya Marinova, The Boston Foundation Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the Burnin

FAQs

What is the report’s main focus in supporting low-income college students?

The report focuses on connecting low-income college students to internships and better first-job opportunities, with an emphasis on evidence-based career guidance and measurable outcomes.

How does Burning Glass Technologies support the research?

Burning Glass Technologies provides job market analytics by analyzing large volumes of job postings and real career transitions to identify labor-market patterns and in-demand skills.

Which outcome areas does the quantitative analysis cover?

The quantitative analysis covers first-year earnings, education requirements of first jobs, and how internship experience relates to BA-level job attainment.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia